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Qld Country - official NRC thread

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RugbyReg

Rocky Elsom (76)
Staff member
The country team won't come from too far either. If suggest most will be fairly familiar with Ballymore.
 

Scrubber2050

Mark Ella (57)
Reg, surely there would be some lads from Central Queensland, North Queensland and Darling Downs in the mix and some from Gold Coast as well I just hope its not just another team of Brisbane based players born in the country.
 
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Train Without a Station

Guest
How can you say surely Scrubber? A premier grade outfit would beat the QLD Country team. How would any barring 1 or 2 of these players be capable of stepping up the next level again?
 

Scoey

Tony Shaw (54)
The NRC is about developing pathways to the big(ger) stage. There are already pathways in place in greater Brisbane for players to work their way toward S15 should they be good enough. So I agree with Scrubber in that surely there needs to be a concerted effort to identify and provide opportunities for talent that are plying their trade in the country areas.
 

Jets

Paul McLean (56)
Staff member
I don't see any benefit in having a Qld Country team that gets smashed by every other team. Better to have a team that is competitive and people can get behind.

Greg Holmes has lived in Brisbane for around 10 years but I'm pretty sure he's be identified as a country guy. There are plenty of other guys from the country who have moved to Brisbane for an opportunity to play rugby at a higher level.

The fact that they are talking of taking the team to regional centres is promising in my view.
 

Scrubber2050

Mark Ella (57)
The alternative is to just have a Reds A and Reds B team which I suppose it really will be. Plenty of good players are not necessarlly "identified" at schools level and some of those have the ability to go much further with the concentrated coaching and mentoring that the Reds offer at Ballymore.

This comp should hopefully identify some of those players that have fallen through the cracks. Hopefully another pathway. The alternative, ie forgetting about real country players and not creating or making available to them, a pathway means you send a shit message.

Either come to Brisbane or you are only destined to forever play park rugby, even if you aspire to greater heights.
 
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Train Without a Station

Guest
I would be disappointed if they really wasted their time with anybody out of colts who had not been identified at some stage already.

Simply because I played Gold Coast Rugby 1st Grade for years, they were the dominant Country Union when it came to the Country Championships, and I wouldn't have considered myself or any of the players I played with or against (excluding those who went on to player Premier Grade) to be exceptional players.

The quality just isn't there, and if it is, they are already identified.
 

Scrubber2050

Mark Ella (57)
TWAS,

There would have to be some lads that could step up. Not many but some. Just want to give them a pathway, albeit narrow.

Otherwise why would the country unions even support the concept
 
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TOCC

Guest
I played country rugby for 3 years so i feel qualified to comment, and the reality is that those players talented enough to take the next step up and want a rugby career have already made the move to Brisbane and are playing for one of the Brisbane Premier Grade clubs.

There might be a few who have remained in their country regions who are talented enough, but the NRC in the current format won't solve that issue. Since the NRC pay is minimal these guys will still need their jobs, meaning they will need to remain in their homes albeit Goondiwindi, Townsville or Mackay.
 
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Train Without a Station

Guest
That was my thoughts exactly TOCC. Guys good enough to step up that have remained in country regions do so for family and work reasons and would not be able to make the NRC commitments anyway.
 

Scrubber2050

Mark Ella (57)
So it really is a matter of centralisaion. Fuck the country boys. Play park rugby, maybe enter that elite Country team and thats it. Unless you get identified as a schoolboy, preferably a schoalership at a GPS school

Honestly guys I KNOW thats the reality of the situation and so be it.
 
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Train Without a Station

Guest
Well how could they be catered for Scrubber?
 

Scrubber2050

Mark Ella (57)
Suppose with time and distance being the problem you would have to rely upon coaches from the faraway places to give a heads up on their best players.

In the South the coach / Assistant coaches should be able to see some guys ( eg Bond playing other Prem teams) or making a trip to the Downs.

Its a hard one and I don't really profess to know the answer but to "countrify" the team surely we need some faraway representation

Just my thoughts
 
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Train Without a Station

Guest
Scrubber, that's great that these coaches give the guys in Brisbane the heads up.

Now what does old mate in full time employment in Townsville, with a mortgage and maybe even a dependant do?

As stated, "they will need to remain in their homes albeit Goondiwindi, Townsville or Mackay."

I'd be doubtful there is any capable players running around that the QRU are completely unaware of. The problem is they logistically cannot be involved in anything more than country rugby due to their choice to live in the country.
 
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